Types of LTM Flashcards
types of LTM
3
episodic memory
semantic memory
procedural memory
episodic memory
4
explicit/declarative memory
personal memories for events and experiences such as a family holiday or a first day at college
includes specific details of events, context and emotional tone…
• time and place of the event
• who was there
• emotions felt at the time
• context — what happened just before or after
flashbulb memory = a type of episodic memory that is particularly vivid and associated with strong emotions and very specific details
semantic memory
7
explicit/declarative memory
shared memories for facts and knowledge about the world
may be concrete (such as knowing that ice is made of water) or abstract (such as mathematical knowledge)
may relate to the function of objects, social customs and norms, etc
generally begin as episodic memories because we acquire knowledge based on personal experiences
then there is a gradual transition in which the memory slowly loses its association to a particular event and the information is generalised into semantic memory
although some people continue to have a strong recollection of when and where they learned a fact
procedural memory
5
implicit memory
concerned with skills, it is memory for how to do things such as riding a bike
they are automatic memories as a result of repetition and practice, people are less aware of these memories as they are subconscious
attention to the step by step procedure of such a memory disrupts the well learned, automatic performance
it’s important that they are automatic so we can focus attention on other tasks while performing these everyday skills
what is LTM divided into?
2
explicit / declarative memory (knowing that)…
• episodic
• semantic
implicit memory (knowing how)... • procedural
x3 evaluation points
evidence from brain scans
support from case studies
fourth type of LTM
EVALUATION
evidence from brain scans
4
a strength of the types of long term memory is that they are supported by evidence from brain scans
brain scans show that different areas of the brain are active when different types of LTM are in use
for example, episodic memories are associated with the hippocampus and activity in the temporal and frontal lobe, while semantic memories are associated with the temporal lobe and procedural memories with the cerebellum
this supports the existence of three different types of LTM as each type is linked to a different part of the brain
EVALUATION
support from case studies
6
another potential strength of the three types of LTM is that they are supported by numerous case studies
for example, Clive Wearing suffered severe memory loss as a result of a virus and his LTM has been lost which is demonstrated in his ability to only remember information for about 20-30 seconds
through Clive Wearing, researchers found that there must be at least 3 different types of LTM as Wearing still had some procedural memory because he could still play the piano
he also knew what coffee was which is a semantic memory and remembered his wife’s name, which is an episodic memory
similarly, a study of HM found that he could still form procedural memories such as learning to draw a figure by looking at its reflection in the mirror, but he had no memory that he had learned this skill (i.e. no episodic or semantic memory)
this supports the existence of three different types of LTM
EVALUATION
fourth type of LTM
5
a limitation of the three types of LTM is that there may be a fourth type of LTM that is being overlooked called the PRS (perceptual representation system) which is related to priming
it is a kind of implicit memory that describes how memories influence the responses a person makes to a stimulus, it is implicit because the answers are automatic
priming is controlled by a brain system separate from the temporal system that supports explicit memory
research has led to the suggestion that this is a fourth kind of LTM that is not included in the three already considered
therefore, by potentially missing out a fourth type of LTM, it may be providing an inaccurate representation of LTM as a whole and should be viewed with caution
